Welcome to Part 2 of my ‘top ten quotations’ – I’m excited about sharing these absolute gems…
6. “Integrity has no need for rules” (Albert Camus)
I was tempted not to include this quotation in my top ten, but instead to add it as the single most powerful ‘rule’ I aim to live my life by. The other quotations in this list will come and go, but my intention is for this one to be ever-present. Albert Camus (1913-1960) was a French-Algerian author, playwright and journalist. He was also well-known for his political commentary and philosophical discussion. In this quotation I like to think Camus is pointing to integrity as an innate human capacity and that he is suggesting we should behave in the right way simply because it is right.
7. “Dare to Dream. Then deal with the doubts and fears” (Marc Allen)
I bumped into Marc Allen (metaphorically) during one of my many enjoyable evenings of online exploration. Allen set up the publishing house New World Library (which published Eckhart Tolle’s work) and I discovered he has a fascinating view on life (including the rule ‘never work before 11am’). The ‘dare to dream’ quotation has become one of my baseline mantras, because I’ve experienced (as have many of my clients) the phenomena that he points to. Excitement about an idea, followed by despair because it seems impossible. He suggests if we take things one step at a time, deal with the obstacles one at a time in an easy and relaxed manner, then we’ll get to where we want to go.
8. “With hope and faith, anything is possible” (Sydney Banks)
There are so many Syd Bank quotations that hit the mark, but this is my current favourite (and has been for a long time). Syd’s not talking religion here, but rather a spiritual understanding of who we really are. If we come to see we have innate capacities for insight and realisation then anything is possible.
9. “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it” (Maya Angelou)
Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was an American poet and civil rights activist. Her 1968 memoir, ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ made literary history as the first nonfiction bestseller by an African American woman. I’ve adopted this quotation as part of my job description – as a coach, my job is to help my clients to find success they are seeking (on the basis that we define success in the same way as Angelou).
10. “Let me fall, if I fall. The person I become will save me” (Baal Shem Tov)
This quotation took my breath away when I first heard it. It still sends shivers up my spine, because these words affirm what I believe – that we will always be okay, whatever happens, because we are equipped to deal with it. The attributes, capacities, abilities we need to enjoy life to the full are innate, meaning the ‘person I become’ is actually the person we already are (we just need to look behind the mask). For the record, Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760) was a religious leader in Poland and is recognised as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. I wonder if he knew that his words would impact little ole me some three hundred years in the future!
*Follow me on Instagram where I’ll be sharing more quotations over the coming weeks and months: @taplinliz
Photo credit: Norwood Themes – Unsplash